Air-brake system.



T. H. CLAPHAMW J. L. MILLER.

*AIR BRAKE SYSTEM.

- APPLICATION FILED DEC. 29. 1913.

Pater lted Sept. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Inventors 7' by i Attorneys Witnesses T. H. CLAPHAM & J. L. MILLER.

AIR BRAKE SYSTEM.

APPLICATlON FILED DEC. 29, 1913- Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

inventors Attorneys 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTArns PATENT onmon.

AIR-BRAKE SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

Application filed December 29, 1913. Serial No. 809,330.

To eZZ whom may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS H. CLAP- rnmr and Jnssn L. MILLER, citizens of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Crawford, State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Air-Brake System, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in air brake systems, and more particularly to a service pressure maintaining device to be used in connection with systems now installed.

With the present standard automatic air brake equipment, when the brakes are applied by a reduction of train pipe pressure due to the operation of the engineers valve and the brake valve is moved to lap position, coverin all ports in the engineers valve, there is provided no means for supplying air under pressure to the train pipe to compensate for the ever present train pipe leakage. Therefore when the brakes are applied and it is desired to hold them in such position for a long period, as for instance, when descending long grades or when it is desired to apply the brakes lightly for slow move ments or while passing over slowdowns or bad curves, and it is not the intention of making a great enough reduction to bring the train to stop, such train pipe leakage will cause the triple valves to move to application position, according to the amount of train pipe leakage, thus equalizing the pressure between the auxiliary reservoir and the brake cylinders,and requiring a release, re-charge and re-application of the brakes, thereby causing an unnecessary waste of the compressed air. With the usual equipment, when the train parts for any cause, a hose burst, or there is an unusual leakage of the train pipe, the engineman has no means of knowing what caused the brakes to ,be applied and therefore must place the automatic brake valve in running position, so that the trainmen in looking for causes for such applicationof the brakes can readily locate the same, should it be caused by a burst hose. Vith the low pressure governor, the main reservoir pressure by its action under the diaphragm in the governor, causes the pump to stop and does not permit of the pump starting again until the main reservoir pressure is down to predetermined pressure,

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to supply suflicient air under pressure to the train pipe, while the brake valve is placed upon lap, and the pump is working, thus maintaining the main reservoir pressure up to its maximum.

When the angle cock is closed, where the train pipe was open, all of the brakes be- "tween, there and thellocomotive will be released without any movement of the engineers brake valve, while the pressure stored V in the main reservoirmay be used to release and recharge the brakes back of where the i train pipe was open, thereby releasing all V brakes and placing the train under speed again in less time than can be done with the generally used equipment.

In practice, when making the terminal test of the air brakes, it'is the custom on many roads for inspectors to cut in the air at the engine and while the air under pressure is being supplied to the train pipe, the inspection of the train is made from the front toward the rear. When the inspector reaches the end of the train, the brakes at his signal are applied and with a train of 75 or more cars, the pressure will have leaked from the train pipe due to train pipe leakage, beforethe inspector has inspected the full train, therefore no pressure will remain in the train pipe and it is impossible to locate the leak at the forwardend of the train and such pressure must necessarily be supplied by the pump while the train is under speed and moving between the terminals.

In makinga terminal test, a ten pound reduction is sufficient, while with the standard equipment where the pressure is permitted to leak to zero, it is necessary to supply a much greater quantity of air under pressure tothe train pipe before the train can be placed under speed.

' Therefore another object of the present invention is to provide the train pipe with compressed air under the desired pressure,

to compensate for whatever leakage there may be and providing an improved means for accomplishing this result. This improved means provides an equalizing pressure for regulating the pressure'to the train pipe with the engineers valve upon lap, whereby the train pipe leakage will be regulated to a certain degree. Instead of the pressure falling from five to twenty-five pounds per minute, due to train pipe leakage this device is so constructed as to allow a slow and continual reduction of from one totwo pounds per minute, thereby allowing the triple valves to move at intervals and compensate to a certain degree for brake cylinder leakage. There the brakes are being applied or released every two to five minutes with the present equipment, in order to hold the trains within the speed limits, there is considerable amount of leakage that must be supplied by the pump, while with the present device this release and recharge will only be necessary once to every five times with present equipment, making a more uniform and regular speed possible and making the present apparatus especially desirable on roads where the heavy power engines are equipped with speedindicators and recording tapes for regulating the maximum speed.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the comination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a standard air brake equip ment minus the pump and main reservoir with the apparatus embodying the present invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the supplementary exhaust valve used in connection with this installation. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the service-pressure maintaining valve.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the conduit which is supplied from the pump and main reservoir (not shown), the same having branched therefrom, the conduit or pipe 2 which leads to the automatic engineer brake valve 3. A pipe 4 is continued from the pipe 1 and is connected at the inlet side of the service pressure maintaining valve 5, a pipe 6 which is nine-tenths of the ca pacity of the pipe 4 being led from the opposite side of the service pressure maintaining valve 5 and through the coupling 7 to the pipe 8, which leads to the train pipe 9 Led from the train pipe 9 is a pipe 10 which is in communication with the distributing valve 11, while led from the distributing valve 11 is a pipe 12 which is connected to the pipe 13 which supplies through the branch pipe 14, the brake cylinders (not shown). Led from the pipe 13 is a pipe 15 which is connected to the cylinder air gage 16, apipe 17 being led therefrom and connected to the pipe 8.

The equalizing reservoir 18 has led from it a pipe 19, to which is connected the regulating pipe 20, the opposite end of which is connected to the regulating chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve 5. Led from the pipe 19 and the equalizing reservoir is a pipe 21 which is connected by the coupling 22 to the engineers valve 3, a reduced pipe 23 being connected to the coupling 22 and through the T-coupling 24 and the pipe 25 to the duplex air gage 26. A pipe 27 is led from the air gage 26 and is connected to the pipe 2.

A supplementary reservoir 28 is provided and has led therefrom, the pipe 29, which is connected to and in communication with the supplementary exhaust valve 30, the detailed structure of which will be presently set forth. Leading from the exhaust valve 30, is a pipe 31 which is connected to the T- coupling 24 and consequently through the pipes 23, 21 and 19 to the equalizing reser voir 18.

Led from the main supply pipe 1 at a point near the pump and main reservoir, is a pipe 32 which has branched therefrom, apipe 33 in which is connected the feed valve 34, a pipe 35 being led from the feed valve and'connected to the engineers valve 3. A pipe 36 is led from the engineers valve 3 and is connected to the pipe 37 which is also connected to the distributing valve, a pipe 38 being led therefrom to the independent brake valve 39 to which is also connected the pipe 37 A release pipe 40 is connected to the engineers valve 3 and also to the independent brake valve 39, while led from the pipe 32 at the upper end thereof is a pipe 41 in which is connected the reducing valve 42 Which through th pipe 43 is connected to the independent brake valve 39. It will thus be observed that the connection for the supply of air is made from the main reservoir pipe 1 and the pipe 4 to the upper inlet of the service pressure maintaining valve 5, such pressure within the maintaining valve entering the top of the usual slide valve therein as particularly illustrated in Fig. 3, to the left or outer side of the regulating valve of the maintaining valve, thus holding both valves upon their seat, while the regulating side of the maintaining valve is connected to the equalizing reservoir through pipe 20. Thus with the equipment charged with air under pressure it is evident that the main reservoir air pressure, as for instance 90 pounds will be upon the upper side of the slide valve of the maintaining valve and the outer end of the regulating valve thereof, passing in at the upper connection through the pipe 4 and out of the reduced pipe 6. The maintaining valve is of usual structure and as particularly shown in detail in Fig. 3. By this arrangement, the pressure from the equalizing reservoir 18 will act upon the diaphragm of the maintaining valve so that such diaphragm will be controlled upon one side by the equalizing reservoir pressure and upon the opposite side by the train line pressure.

The supplementary exhaust valve 30, which is shown in detail in Fig. 2, is provided with the chamber 44, which is divided into two compartments by means of the diaphragm 45, a stem 46 being connected to the diaphra m to be moved thereby, so that the valves 4 and 50 carried thereby will alternate in their operation, one being open while the other is closed, and vice versa. The movable valve seat 48 is provided to receive the valve 47 which controls the outlet port 49 of the supplementary exhaust valve 30. The valve 50 controlsthe ported valve seat 51 so that the admission of the pressure from the pipe 31 into the valve casing 30 will be regulated through the diaphragm 45. A spring 46 is connected to assist in holding the diaphragm 45 with the valve 47 seated. The ports 52 and 53 lead from the upper and lower ends of the chamber 44 upon opposite sides of the diaphragm 45, the port 52 leading into the valved seated end 54 of the chamber 58. This valve seat 54 is controlled by the valve 55 carried by the stem 56, the spring 57 being so disposed as to normally hold the valve unseated or open. Leading from the threaded port 59 of the chamber 58 is the pipe 29 which as heretofore described leads to and from the supplementary reservoir 28. It will thus be seen that the supplementary exhaust valve 30 is located between the supplementary reservoir and the equalizing discharge valve chamber of the engineers valve 3, its duty being to discharge the compressed air to the atmosphere from the supplementary reservoir through port 49 when the brakes are being applied. It is therefore evident that when the preliminary exhaust occurs, the pressure to a certain degree will be removed from above the diaphragm 45, permitting the diaphragm to flex upwardly, elevating the valve 47 from the seat 48 so that the supplementary pressure from the reservoir 28 will be discharged from the chamber 48 through the port 53 into the lower end of the chamber 44 and out of the port 49. This reduction of pressure above the diaphragm 45 will cause the valve 55 to close by suction. This pressure will be discharged until it equals the pressure in the equalizing reservoir 18, at which time the diaphragm 45 will cause the valve 47 to close the port 48 and prevent any further discharge of air to the atmosphere. As there is a certain leakage of air past the packing rings in the engineers valve 3, there will be a lowering of the pressure upon the regulating side of the diaphragm of the maintaining valve 5, and therefore communication is caused from the supplementary reservoir to the equalizing reservoir and to the regulating side of the maintaining valve through the port 52 of the supplementary exhaust valve 30, the valve 55 opening under the action of the spring 57. By this means, the maintaining valve pressure is retained so as not to permit of agreater train pipe leakage than from one to two pounds per minute.

It will thus be seen that with the equipment herein described, that the feed valve 34 is employed to supply the air under pressure to the train pipe when the brakes are released and the engineers valve 3 is in running or holding position, this feed valve being set at a given pressure and maintaining such pressure when the brakes are in release position. The present arrangement and installation simply cuts out the feed valve and its communication with the train pipe when the engineers valve 3 is upon lap position, and permits the cutting in of the maintaining valve for supplying train pipe leaks when the brakes are applied, such supplying to be to such an extent as is consistent with the conditions to be met without permitting the brakes to what is termed leak 011", this being controlled by the equalizing reservoir air, and using the supplementary reservoir to supply the leakage past the packing rings in the engineers automatic brake valve.

It is also apparent with the present device, that is the supplementary exhaust valve, which is connected to a chamber of 100 the engineers discharge valve 3, and the supplementary reservoir 28, that the triple graduating valves will be permitted to move frequently in long applications and thereby compensate for the brake cylinder leakage, 105 while with the other devices heretofore used, no provision was made for the compensation of the cylinder leakage.

What is claimed is:

1. An air brake system, including a main 11 supply pipe, a train pipe, an engineers valve controlling the train pipe, a service pressure maintaining valve interposed between the supply pipe and the train pipe, an equalizing reservoir in communication 11 with the engineers valve and with the diaphragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve, a supplementary reservoir in communication with the equalizing reservoir and the diaphragm chamber of the 120 service pressure maintaining valve, and a mechanism interposed between the supplementary reservoir and the diaphragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve for varying the pressure in the dia- 125 phragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve.

2. An air brake system, including a main supply pipe, a train pipe, an engineers valve controlling the train pipe, a service 130 pressure maintaining Valve interposed be tween the main supply pipe and the train pipe, an equalizing reservoir in commu nication with the engineers valve and with the diaphragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve, a supplementary reservoir in communication with the equalizing reservoir, and the diaphragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve, and a mechanism interposed between the supplementary reservoir and the diaphragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve for venting the supplementary reservoir to the atmosphere or directing the pressure fluid therefrom to the diaphragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve.

3. An air brake system, including a main supply pipe, a train pipe, an engineers valve controlling the train pipe, a service pressure maintaining valve interposed between the supply pipe and the train pipe, an equalizing reservoir in communication with the engineers valve and with the diaphragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve, a supplementary reservoir in communication with the equalizing reservoir and the diaphragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve, and a supplementary exhaust valve interposed between the supplementary reservoir and the diaphragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve.

4. An air brake system, including a main supply pipe, a train pipe, an engineers valve controlling the train pipe, a service pressure maintaining valve interposed between the supply pipe and the train pipe, an equalizing reservoir in communication with the engineers valve and with the dia phragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve, a supplementary reservoir in communication with the equalizing reservoir and the diaphragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve, and a supplementary exhaust valve interposed be tween the supplementary reservoir and the diaphragm chamber of the service pressure maintaining valve for venting the supplementary reservoir to the atmosphere during the actuation of the engineers valve or for supplying pressure to the diaphragm cham ber of the service pressure maintaining valve during leakage in the train pipe.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS H. CLAPHAM. JESSE L. MILLER. lVitnesses \V. J. LINEILLE, E. E. WALKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

